The factors influencing Mathematics students to choose teaching as a career

Abstract

Prompted by the poor state of mathematics education in South Africa and the shortage of competent mathematics teachers, this study sought to identify what factors influenced 40 Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) students at three universities in the Western Cape Province, with Mathematics as a major subject, to choose teaching as a career. The respondents were asked to articulate reasons for their career choice by answering an open-ended question and completing an internationally validated FIT-choice questionnaire. The motivations presented in the questionnaire are based on the concepts of Self-efficacy, Self-determination Theory (SDT) and Expectancy Value Theory (EVT). The research has shown that student responses regarding their motivations were remarkably consistent, regardless of the respondents’ home language or social class. Student rating choices were based mainly on intrinsic motivations. The study concludes, therefore, that understanding student choices with respect to Mathematics teaching as a career will assist in the planning and management of the recruitment and retention of quality Mathematics teachers. It is clear from this research that when student teachers with intrinsic motivation are identified and recruited, they will be more likely to perceive teaching as a lifelong career choice.

Keywords: career choice; factors; mathematics teachers; motivation; recruitment; retention